J.J. Abrams reveals his ideas for the tone of Star Wars: Episode VII. Check out tons of new images for Thor: The Dark World and Catching Fire. RoboCop is headed to IMAX. Terry Gilliam reveals why his low-budget dystopian movie Zero Theorem is a little bit like Brazil. It's time for spoilers!

Top image from The Walking Dead.

Star Wars: Episode VII

Director J.J. Abrams was asked if there was a specific Star Wars movie he hoped his new entry would recall. And since he’s apparently not bold enough to just up and say, “This movie will be exactly like Attack of the Clones, because obviously,” here was his rather more cryptic, evenhanded response:

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“Impossible for me to say because it’s going to be an evolving thing. I would say we are working really hard to make a movie that feels as emotional and authentic and exciting as possible. Whatever your favorite Star Wars movie is and how to compare it is really sort of subjective.”

Media and fans have been offering you a ton of unsolicited advice about to how to approach the film. Is there any particular thing they’ve said that you’ve taken to heart? “It’s been nice see that how important it is and to be reminded how important it is to so many people. We all know that [creator George Lucas'] dream has become almost a religion to some people. I remember reading a thing somewhere, someone wrote about just wanting [the new film] to feel real; to feel authentic. I remember I felt that way when I was 11 years old when I saw the first one. As much of a fairy tale as it was, it felt real. And to me, that is exactly right.”

So, there you have it. I’m still not entirely sure what that “it” is, exactly, but it’s apparently not an unequivocal endorsement of all things Attack of the Clones, because the world just isn’t ready for that. Not yet, anyway. [EW]

Thor: The Dark World

RoboCop

Sony Pictures has announced that Jose Padilha’s reboot will be released in IMAX on February 7, 2014. Here’s the latest synopsis and cast list accompanying the announcement:

In RoboCop, the year is 2028 and multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is at the center of robot technology. Overseas, their drones have been used by the military for years – and it's meant billions for OmniCorp's bottom line. Now OmniCorp wants to bring their controversial technology to the home front, and they see a golden opportunity to do it. When Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) – a loving husband, father and good cop doing his best to stem the tide of crime and corruption in Detroit – is critically injured in the line of duty, OmniCorp sees its chance to build a part-man, part-robot police officer. OmniCorp envisions a RoboCop in every city and even more billions for their shareholders, but they never counted on one thing: there is still a man inside the machine pursuing justice.

RoboCop is directed by Jose Padilha and stars Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, and Samuel L. Jackson, as well as Abbie Cornish, Jackie Earle Haley, Michael K. Williams, Jay Baruchel, Jennifer Ehle, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste. The screenplay is by Joshua Zetumer, based on the 1987 motion picture written by Edward Neumeier & Michael Miner. The film is produced by Marc Abraham and Eric Newman, with Bill Carraro and Roger Birnbaum serving as executive producers.

Catching Fire

Here’s a bunch of promo photos for the various characters in the Hunger Games sequel. [/Film]

Zero Theorem

The great if eternally unlucky Terry Gilliam explains how his latest feature—which stars Django Unchained Oscar winner Christoph Waltz as Quohen Leth, a reclusive computer genius in a dystopian world—harks back to his magnum opus:

“I think Zero Theorem is vaguely related to Brazil in that it tries to deal with the madness of the world in 2013. Through the internet and smartphones we are overwhelmed with connectivity and information… most of it irrelevant but nevertheless invasive and crushing. How many of us can actually be alone anymore? Zero Theorem was made on a budget smaller than anything I had worked on since Time Bandits. There is a claustrophobia in the film that is battered away by the entry of a very few characters. It’s how a man rediscovers his humanity. [The movie is] dark, moody, humorous, but also intensely colourful, romantic and emotional.”

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

“What I find compelling about Agent Coulson is that this guy has seen things that would turn your hair white and yet he still believes the dream and heroism. Every step of the way, a different writing/directing team has turned this guy into something new and added another dimension that’s left me asking, ‘What now?’ That certainly has never been more true than the last time I saw him when he was bleeding out on a Helicarrier.”

Check out the link for a comment from producer Jeph Loeb on the show’s inception. [SFX]

Here’s the official description and cast list for the third episode, entitled “The Asset”:

"The Asset" – When the brilliant scientist, Dr. Franklin Hall, is kidnapped, Agent Coulson and his S.H.I.E.L.D. agents must race against the clock to locate him. Skye is their only way in—pushing the team to their limits when the entire plan turns upside-down—on "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."

The Walking Dead

Phineas and Ferb and Everybody Hates Chris costar Vincent Martella describes his character Patrick, who debuts in the upcoming fourth season:

“He’s right around Carl’s age. He’s a little bit older. He’s one of the new people who Carl gets a little closer with. Carl hasn’t really had anybody his age, so now you kind of get to see Carl’s relationship with people his own age and that’s one of the things that Patrick is bringing to the show.”

So, if we’re keeping track, it’s Phineas who is on The Walking Dead, and it’s Ferb who is on Game of Thrones. If this ends with all non-adult Phineas and Ferb fans – so at least a solid 20 percent of its audience – watching those two shows, I think we can all consider this a job well done. [EW]

Here are some updates on where various characters stand going into the fourth season, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly:

What's Rick up to? "He's farming!" says [Andrew] Lincoln. "He's decided to renounce the brutality of the world for the sake of his son and his infant daughter. It's almost like he's a guy who's suppressing a side of himself in order to bring up his children as best he can." Adds Chandler Riggs, who plays Rick's son, Carl, "His dad wants him to be a kid now. So he gives it a fair try."

"They're happier. They have their own room!" says [Lauren] Cohan [of Glenn and Maggie.] "Glenn and Maggie have a joyful relationship," adds [Steven] Yeun. "But the problem is that the conditions of the world scare Glenn."

Once Upon a Time

Co-creator Adam Horowitz confirms that the coming third season will reveal just how Henry ended up with Regina:

“Yes. Before our Christmas break, we plan to show the why and the how of how baby Henry came to his new mother.”

The Vampire Diaries

"Silas doesn't give a shit. He's like Damon in Season 1. [He thinks,] 'I am almighty, all-powerful, I will mess you up. This is what I want. I'm going to kill everything in the wake if you screw this up for me, but I'm going to toy with you a little bit.'… The beautiful thing about Elena is that she is so dialed into Stefan. She's a compassionate human being, she loves so intensely and she has this pit in her stomach. She and Stefan particularly have this bond, and we later figure out in the mythology of the story why that is. But her having this feeling is genuine. Is there a worry in the back of Damon's mind that she could go back to him? Yeah, absolutely. He can't deny it and he won't deny it, but all he wants is for her to be happy. Stefan would do the same thing."

American Horror Story: Coven

Here are some hints on the upcoming season from the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly:

"The murder of a young witch near New Orleans inspires Fiona [Jessica Lange] to return home from L.A., where she's been living the high life, and reunite with her estranged daughter Cordelia [Sarah Paulson], the headmistress of Miss Robichaux's Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies. (Like an all-girl Hogwarts, the school has been a safe haven for young witches since 1868.) The student body — and witchy bloodline — is dwindling due to coven members who are fearful of reproducing and passing on their powers, as well as forces determined to destroy the lineage....

"In the premiere, Zoe [Taissa Farmiga] enrolls after a tryst with her boyfriend turns dangerous and leads her to discover a unique ability. 'She's kind of this sweet girl — except she kills people with her vagina," says Farmiga.'"

Orphan Black

Series creators Graeme Manson and John Fawcett preview the second season, starting with the possibility of more clones being added to the mix:

Manson: I think it’s safe to say we definitely are invested in the idea of having a new clone or two in season two.Fawcett: Although we just met Rachel at the end of season one. Her and Sarah are gonna be going pretty much head to head to start the show [next year]. We’re gonna hit the ground running. We’ve got a really interesting character to unpack. Probably before we meet someone new.

Will we see more of Sarah’s daughter, Kira, and her foster mother, Mrs S? Fawcett: Yeah, definitely. Kira is Sarah’s heart and Sarah is back in a large part where we met her at the beginning of season one. She’s not with her daughter, she’s got limited resources, she’s on the run. So we’re going right back there, and as for Mrs S, we just love Maria Doyle Kennedy. She’s a terrific actor, and she’s always been a sleeper character for us. So we know that there’s more coming.Manson: Mrs S has always been important. Mrs S is a character that has surprises and secrets and is important to the mythology of our show. We know that Kira is special, and Kira figures into our series period. She is a series character, she’s not gonna go away anytime soon. Hopefully she’ll be a teenager by the time we wrap up the series!